Legislation / cultural repressionSupplement

Canada bans the potlatch

Canada, especially Northwest Coast; First Nations

An amendment to the Indian Act prohibited the potlatch, attacking ceremonies central to governance, economic relations and cultural continuity.

Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.

Context / qualification

The ban was one aspect of assimilation policy, not a description of all Canadian law concerning ceremony.